Penis Size Matters—But NOT In the Way You Think

Penis Size Matters—But NOT In the Way You Think

Here's the long and short of it.

Penis Size Matters—But NOT In the Way You ThinkHere's the long and short of it.

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Believe it or not, our penis preferences change depending on the situation. (And not in the "Would I prefer Channing Tatum or James Franco today" sort of way.) According to preliminary research from the Sexual Psychophysiology and Affective Neuroscience (SPAN) Laboratory at UCLA, women prefer slightly larger than average penises for both casual sex and long-term relationships (no huge surprise there, right?). But here's the kicker: When it comes to a one-night-stand, women prefer something even bigger—in girth, not length! This research was presented at the 26th Annual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science and has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal.

In what sounds like a fascinatingly weird study, 41 women viewed and handled penises made from a 3D printer that ranged in size from 4 inches long and 2.5 inches in circumference to 8.5 inches long and 7 inches in circumference (!!). They were then asked to pick which of the 33 models they would want for a one-time partner and which they would prefer for a long-term relationship. On average, the ideal penis girth for one-time partners was larger than the ideal penis for long-term relationships, but length remained the same at about 6.5 inches.

And that's not the only weird finding that came out of this research. It turns out that women aren't great at recalling the size of penises they've previously seen. In a second part of the study, women were given one of the penis models and asked to examine it for 30 seconds before returning it. Then they were asked to pick that same model out of the bin of 33 models either immediately or 10 minutes later. Women who spent more time away from the model tended to overestimate the size of that past penis, as they were more likely to pick out a bigger model. So it turns out you might be seriously overestimating that well-endowed guy you hooked up with on spring break back in college. Weird, right?

Still, it just goes to show you that there's no normal penis (just like there's no normal vagina), and that's OK. One member may be perfect for a fling while another can be exactly what you want in a long-term mate. So whatever you're working with, here are the best sex positions for every penis size.